Tech: Nextflix Identifies When Viewers Get “Hooked”

If you’re looking for a new TV show to get hooked on, Netflix’s new report will streamline the process for you. The company analyzed streaming information from some of the most popular television shows’ inaugural seasons to identify the episode where viewers became “hooked,” or the one where 70% of those who watched that episode continued on to finish the first season. Data was collected across a seven-month period (January to July of 2015) for pre-selected shows.

Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said, “…a series pilot is arguably the most important point in the life of the show. However, in our research we found that no one was ever hooked on the pilot. This gives us confidence that giving our members all episodes at once is more aligned with how fans are made.”

“Arrow” and “How I Met Your Mother” snagged viewers after 8 episodes; “Gossip Girl” and “House of Cards” in three, “Mad Men” and “Once Upon a Time” in six, and “Breaking Bad,” “Scandal,” and “The Walking Dead” took only two episodes to entice their respective audiences.